Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-03-09

Report by an EnUellIgeht dHu DISAhecA-
ested Observer.
When the Cullom committee WAS
studying the question of governmental
forts were made to obtain precise in
formation about the experience OF
other countries In this direction,
writes a, Washington correspondent OF
the st. Louis Globe-DemOcrat To
the surprise Of the committee it was
found that this was difficult. The
matter sought could not be obtained
In that tangible form which would be
of value. Among the witnesses before
the committee was Simon Sterne, a
lawyer and capitalist of New York, who
had given great deal OF at
tention to the question of rail
road supervision. The outcome
of the examination Of Mr.. Sterne
was prefer on his part to undertake
as g. labor of love an investigation of
the subject as bearing on English and
constitutional railways. The Senate
committee united in request to the
President to commission Mr.. Sterne
for the work, and the gentleman went
abroad at his own expense, but with
the highest credentials from the De-
partment of State. His report was
issued from the government printing
house to day, and is Of great interest
in view of the general attention now
drawn to the Interstate commerce
law. Mr.. Sterne takes up one country
after another anu reviews the history
of the relations between each govern
ment and it's railways. At the close
of his report he summaries his views
and experiences as follows:
''It will thus be seen that that
country of the nations of Europe
which allowed the largest scope to pri-
vate enterprise, under the impression
that competition would be the regu-
lative by which the railway companies
would be kept in proper control with
out any active Intervention on the
part of governmental officials, has re-
versed its policy, and from decade to
decade, and almost from year to year,
has increased the intervention of the
state without injury to the private
capital invested therein and to the
great advantage of the English people.
cit will also be seen that in CONT
mental Europe the construction of the
roads has either been undertaken by
the government itself, or they have
been constructed partly by govern
mental aid and all under governmental
supervision; so that even where the
mixed system of state and private
ownership prevails, the state main
tains and exercises maternal super
vision over the railway en-
teprises of the country, and
that in all matters of passenger
and freight charges compliance with
four conditions are insisted upon. ~
Responsibility to the public and no
change of rates without the consent
of public authority; ~ publicity of
rates; ~ such modification of exist
ing rates as may be required by gov
ernmental authority, subject to the
condition only in some of the coun-
tries that where such power is exer-
cised the government makes good the
loss of the railway company if the same
is not made up by increased traffic in
consequence of the reduction.
"One end toward which, with many
deviations, European governments
and railway managers remore Or less
striving to attain IS the institution of
q initial tariff, classification based
not upon values, but upon cost of
service and risks run in Transports
ton, havingthe carload as a unit, and
the simpli6cation of q classification in
three particulars. (D In diminishing
the number OF classes; ~ in grouping
them upon the basis offull service of the
rolling stock, and making the
carload the unit of the reduced
rate; ~ In bringing both the methods
of classification and the computation
OF the rate within the comprehension
of all persons SO that any forwarder
of freight can compute for himself and
make out in his Office, as accurately as
estimating the rate of postage on q
letter or package, having the published
gate before him, the freight bill as well
as the railway officials can themselves.
Personal and preferential rates
have been so completely eliminated
from railway tariffs in civilized Euro
pean states that it may be said that
substantially they no longer exist
From that standpoint the railroad
officials have been weaned, partly by
a nd to still greater degree by the rig
OlOuS duO uuylclO1uS laws vi jill EUTO-
pean states on that subject.
European governments have e1er-
cised in the interest of the public g.
supervision which has never even re-
motely been attempted in this coun-
try. A failure on our part in putting
forth governmental power, which
partly arises not only from the freer
nature OF our institutions, which
leaves greater initiative to private
enterprise than is permitted to be ex-
ercised in European countries, but, as
already indicated and shown, is also
partly due to the fact that we have
misconceived the nature of the rail-
way enterprise in suppcslng it to bein
all respects subject to the law Of
competition. In one particular, how
ever, the European governments have
been more just to the railway COM
panies and more conservative of their
interests than We have been in this
country. They have coupled super
vision and control with the recogni-
ton of the right to the undivided oc-
cupancy Of g. field, and have prevented
the mere duplication of railways not